Southeast Asian Consortium Begins Construction on Largest Solar Park in the Region

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Earlier this month, a consortium led by Bangchak Petroleum Public Company Limited (Bangkok, Thailand) was formed after the selection of contractor Suntech Power Holdings Company Limited (NYSE:STP) (Wuxi, China) to construct a solar park in Thailand that will be Southeast Asia's largest. The design-build firm selected for the consortium is Solartron Public Company Limited (Bangkok, Thailand), which will integrate Suntech's solar cells on site.

This new solar project is being developed as part of Thailand's goal to produce 20% of its energy from renewable energy by 2022, as well as part of Bangchak's long-term plans to develop clean energy sources. In a shorter-term maneuver, the Thai government plans to have at least 8% of its total power generated through renewable energy sources by next year. Though it hopes that 60% of that figure will be generated via biomass facilities, the government is encouraging Thai energy producers to build enough facilities to produce 1,900 megawatts (MW) through solar plants, windfarms, hydroelectric power plants, etc. The government also has set high standards for those companies wishing to become involved; independent power providers who apply must produce at least 5% or more of their installed capacity via renewable energy.

For more information on other renewable energy projects taking place in Thailand, see July 19, 2010, article - Thailand Moves Toward Clean and Renewable Energy.

Construction of the Bangkok Solar Power Station, which will be 20 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, began this month soon after the consortium details were finalized. Solartron plans to install 34.5 MW of Suntech's STP200E polycrystalline solar cells, which will begin producing renewable energy for Bangkok's regional grid sometime next December.

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